According to Haikou’s Meilan International Airport, a new Frankfurt-Bangkok-Haikou route opened Feb. 6th, with flights every Monday and Friday operated by Condor Airlines on an Airbus A330 aircraft.

The new route opens a convenient air corridor connecting Germany, Thailand and China. This is the first ‘Fifth Freedom’ route opened at Meilan Airport this year, as well as the first Condor Airlines flight to Haikou.

Passengers check in for the new flight at Haikou Meilan International Airport on Feb. 6. (Photo provided by the Haikou Meilan International Airport)

The ‘Fifth Freedom of the Air’ allows airlines from one country to operate flights between two other countries when the route starts or ends in the airline’s home country. This allows airlines to expand offerings, compensate for low passenger or cargo capacity on certain direct flights, and increase operating revenues while also offering passengers more international flight options.

The 2026 Spring Festival travel rush began Feb. 2nd. In order to make check-in more convenient and efficient for international and regional flight passengers, Meilan Airport is now offering check-in service up to 180 minutes before departure, instead of the normal 150 minutes. In the airport’s Terminal 2, counters B10 (Hainan Airlines) and A13 (all other airlines) have been designated as regular check-in counters for international and regional flights, and are now open from 4 PM to 4 AM daily. These counters offer check-in services for passengers on flights departing before 7 AM the next day, making check-in for late night flights more convenient and relaxed.